Ag Policy Blog

USDA is providing $500 million to independent beef processors to boost competition and offset rising cattle procurement costs amid historically tight supplies.

Jake Zajkowski joins the DTN/Progressive Farmer in Washington, D.C., writing in the Ag Policy Blog about the diverse opinions and coalitions shaping farm policy across farm country.

The Senate farm bill includes a range of provisions that could directly affect farmers and ranchers. Among them are expanded USDA financing for precision agriculture equipment and fertilizer storage, new flexibility to use virtual fencing after disasters, changes affecting...

USDA on Wednesday announced orders to move more agency staffs out of the Washington, D.C., area and into regional offices. Reorganization announcements have affected most USDA agencies, including the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Agricultural Marketing Service and Rural...

Farm labor groups welcomed new DHS guidance clarifying that dairy operations may qualify for H-2A workers when they can demonstrate a temporary or seasonal labor need under existing law. The policy arrives as House lawmakers prepare broader legislation that would permanently...

The group Farm Action is releasing a white paper advocating for some policy changes the group says would help rebuild the cattle herd and expand domestic meat processing at the same time.

More reports have come out over the past week about specific orders to USDA employees and relocation announcements. A lot of staff at USDA are only now learning they need to decide within weeks if they are going to relocate or look for another job.

In a surprise on Tuesday night, Rep. Randy Feenstra lost the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary to first-time candidate Zach Lahn, a businessman and farmer. Feenstra had the backing of President Donald Trump, but Feenstra also failed to engage his opponents, which drew...

OMAHA (DTN) -- Farm groups are continuing to press Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to drop the 16.8% countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports.

USDA released details on the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) program. USDA has also increased the funding for the program due to higher input costs. The payments to specialty crop growers are being made to deal with marketing losses in the 2025 growing...

In a letter to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture committee, along with the Senate majority and minority leaders, NFU highlighted that its members and rural communities continue to face significant economic headwinds. NFU is pitching its own plan that would...

While the White House touts that China has agreed to buy $17 billion in agricultural commodities under an agreement reached last week, a new report shows U.S. agricultural exports to China fell by $14.9 billion during much of the past year.

USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce said landowners should start to receive notifications within the next month about whether they have farmland eligible for enrollment in base acres. Fordyce also acknowledged at least some local county...

Both Republican and Democratic aides said the base farm bill will not contain a provision to preempt states from labeling chemicals like glyphosate, nor will it include a provision negating California's Proposition 12, a law requiring pork sold in the state to come from animals raised...

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was among a group of Republicans who joined with Democrats to remove provisions from the House version of the farm bill that would protect pesticide companies from legal liability and declare EPA has exclusive authority over pesticide labels.

The chairman and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to nominate a full slate of members to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The agency has been focusing more attention on regulating crypto...

The vote Tuesday on E15 showed splits among the political parties and delegations from states across the country. Lawmakers from top ethanol-producing states stuck together to back the bill. The House Agriculture Committee also showed some split.

Soybean and corn both have their market-moving moments this week with the summit in China and Congress looking to vote on E15 legislation. Cargill's CEO will join President Donald Trump on his trip to China while the House is set to potentially vote on the E15 bill.

The director-general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is warning that fertilizer disruptions tied to the Strait of Hormuz will strain the global food system and tighten food supplies in the second half of 2026 and into next year.

While Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and others denounce Brazilian meatpackers and American reliance on foreign beef, Brazilian beef imports to the U.S. continue to soar. The Trump administration has launched at least two trade investigations into Brazil, but neither has led...